Conventionally, scroll compressors installed in motor vehicles are well-known, and proposals have been made for improving the thrust bearings of scroll compressors (see JP 4511412B, JP 4737141B, and JP 3364016B). Namely, in JP 4511412B, a plurality of annular grooves extending in a circumferential direction and a plurality of grooves extending in a radial direction are provided together on a sliding surface of the thrust bearing, and planar protrusions positioned adjacent thereto are constituted as a pressure receiving surface (see FIG. 5 of JP 4511412B).
Also, in JP 4737141B, in a thrust bearing consisting of a fixed-side thrust race and a movable-side thrust race as a pair, hard surface treatment such as DLC is performed on the sliding surface of the fixed-side thrust race, and a large number of circular protrusions are formed on the sliding surface of the movable-side thrust race (see FIG. 4 of JP 4737141B).
Furthermore, in JP 3364016B, a coating layer consisting of a solid lubricant is formed on the sliding surface of the thrust bearing (see FIG. 1 (C) of JP 3364016B). In JP 4511412B, JP 4737141B, and JP 3364016B, the abovementioned configurations are provided with the intension of improving the wear resistance and seizure resistance of thrust bearings.